#OpenData breeds trust in public health. It has been really heartening following @Pouriaaa and @statsgeekclare on Twitter running the awesome coronavirus.data.gov.uk dashboard in real-time.
If you're not following (where have you been?!) this dashboard started simple, and has just continuously grown in quality and depth, buying in trust from both the public, and from the public health bodies who are institutionally nervous about #OpenData.
The team @Pouriaaa and @statsgeekclare openly share their trials, tribulations, challenges and successes as the platform develops. This has become a superb resource.
What strikes me is that public health has many teams like this doing their best day-in day-out. But lack of #OpenData and closed-doors discussions leads to mistrust.
There is a fear of confusing people with data that is temporary and is subject to being revised and updated. There is a legitimate fear that press and naysayers will pick on every bug to scream incompetence or cover-up.
But the team behind this dashboard seem to have demonstrated that more openness, not less, is the answer. Thoughts?
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
